Hop Growers Fair Booths On Blissimore Hall Acre

The hop growers fair booths on Blissimore Hall Acre are a range of former booths that create an elongated U-shaped yard, with the rear wall facing Weyhill Road, Rectory Lane, and the churchyard of St. Michael's and All Angels. These structures date from the early to mid-19th century and feature a cob rear wall with a flint plinth, open-fronted booths supported by timber posts and king post trusses, and slated roofs. Built by a group of hop growers known as the Farnham Gentlemen, these booths were used to market their produce. They are the last remaining parts of Weyhill Fair, a historically significant fair that has been documented since 1225 and continued until 1959. The fair was noted by William Cobbett in his writings and was fictionalized by Thomas Hardy in The Mayor of Casterbridge, where he renamed it Weydon Priors. These booths are also significant as a rare example of permanent fair booths.